1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of computer-implemented methods and systems for facilitating call center operations. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for facilitating and improving searching, retrieving, viewing and acting upon customer and contact records.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Related Information
Whenever someone calls a toll free number to obtain service or order a product, the person on the other end of the line is likely a customer service agent working in a call or contact center. Searching for and possibly creating a new record for a customer is probably the most common function of customer service agents, as a customer record is required for order capture, service request and all but the simplest contact center functions. Cost is a huge concern for most call centers (or contact centers, as the two terms are used interchangeably herein). For call centers, time truly is money. One large call center has calculated that every second added to every call increases the cost of operations by around a million dollars. When evaluating call center management software, call center IT professionals pay close attention to the efficiency of the software in handling calls and retrieving the necessary information to enable the customer service agent to efficiently field and process calls. One of the problems faced by call centers is that that agents must efficiently identify both the customer (the party with whom the business relationship is to be or has been established) and the contact (the party who is contacting the contact center on behalf of the customer). Contact centers that handle corporate accounts usually identify a contact that is different from the customer. Even small delays (e.g., extra steps carried out by the customer service agent) in identifying the correct contact and customer degrades the quality of service provided by the customer service agent and incurs non-negligible costs that must be borne by the call center. From the foregoing, it may be appreciated that improved methods and systems are needed for searching for, displaying and creating customer and contact information.